Suspension arrays based on optical encoded microspheres have attracted great attention for multiplexed detection in gene analysis, protein profiling, early disease diagnosis, treatment monitoring and so on. However, the fluorescence stability of barcodes and detection sensitivity require further improvement to meet the increasing demands of “precision diagnosis”. Methods: This work reports a novel suspension array platform based on extremely stable AIEgens (AIE33 and AIE NIR800) microbeads as barcodes and AIEgens (1,1,2,3,4,5-Hexaphenyl-1H-silole, HPS) nanobeads as fluorescent signal reporter coupled with flow cytometry for multiplexed detection. Results: Due to the excellent fluorescent signal amplification effect of the HPS nanobeads, our multiplex assay showed enhanced detection sensitivity, compared to multiplex assay using QDs nanobeads (up to 3-fold improvement) and commercial organic dye of phycoerythrin (up to 5-fold improvement) as the fluorescent signal reporters. Conclusion: Furthermore, validating experiments showed similar detection performance to the clinical gold-standard method of ImmunoCAP for allergen detection in patient serum samples, demonstrating the suspension array platform based on AIEgens microbeads with excellent fluorescence stability and AIEgens nanobeads with strong signal amplification ability is promising for high-sensitivity multiplexed bioassay applications.

A novel two-dimensional CdII coordination framework, poly[[[μ-1,3-bis(2-methyl-1H-imidazol-1-yl)benzene-κ2 N:N′](μ-1,3-phenylenediacetato-κ4 O,O′:O′′,O′′′)cadmium(II)] dihydrate], {[Cd(C10H8O4)(C14H14N4)]·2H2O} n or {[Cd(PDA)(1,3-BMIB)]·2H2O} n [1,3-BMIB is 1,3-bis(2-methyl-1H-imidazol-1-yl)benzene and H2PDA is 1,3-phenylenediacetic acid], has been prepared and characterized using IR, elemental analysis, thermal analysis and single-crystal X-ray diffraction, the latter revealing that the compound is a (4,4) grid coordination polymer with layers oriented parallel to the bc crystal planes. In the crystal, adjacent layers are further connected by O—H...O and C—H...O hydrogen bonds, forming a three-dimensional structure in the solid state. In addition, the compound exhibits strong fluorescence emissions and shows photocatalytic activity for the degradation of methylene blue in the solid state at room temperature.

A novel two‐dimensional (2D) ZnII coordination framework, poly[[μ‐1,3‐bis(2‐methyl‐1H‐imidazol‐1‐yl)benzene](μ‐5‐nitrobenzene‐1,3‐dicarboxylato)zinc(II)], [Zn(C8H3NO6)(C14H14N4)]n or [Zn(NO2‐BDC)(1,3‐BMIB)]n [1,3‐BMIB is 1,3‐bis(2‐methyl‐1H‐imidazol‐1‐yl)benzene and NO2‐H2BDC is 5‐nitrobenzene‐1,3‐dicarboxylic acid], has been prepared and characterized by IR, elemental analysis, thermal analysis and single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction. Single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction analysis revealed that the compound is a new 2D polymer with a 63 topology parallel to the (10) crystal planes based on left‐handed helices, right‐handed helical NO2‐BDC–Zn chains and [Zn2(1,3‐BMIB)2]n clusters. In the crystal, adjacent layers are further connected by C—H…O hydrogen bonds, C—H…π interactions, C—O…π interactions and N—O…π interactions to form a three‐dimensional structure in the solid state. In addition, the compound exhibits strong fluorescence emissions in the solid state at room temperature.

"Single-chain" microgels were synthesized successfully from the cross-linkable poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) copolymer. This type of microgel has the exact chemical structure, molecular weight and molecular weight distribution of its precursor. It provides a direct way to compare the properties of linear polymers with those of their networks. The viscosity properties show that the microgels have lower critical solution temperatures (LCST) that are even higher than those of the corresponding linear copolymers. This can be attributed to the crosslinking points, which retard the change of the conformation of the network chains.

Background: Guishaozichuan (GSZC) granules are a traditional Chinese medicine formulation created by Professor Li (Chinese–Japanese Friendship Hospital, Beijing, China) we studied the effect of GSZC granules in rats suffering from asthma.Methods: Specific pathogen-free Sprague–Dawley rats were divided randomly into seven groups. Ovalbumin (OVA) and Al (OH)3 gel were used to create an asthma model. On day 1, rats were injected with OVA (10 mg) and an Al(OH)3 gel suspension (100 mg). One week later, rats were sensitized again. On day 15, rats were given aerosolized OVA (1%) for 30 min/day for 10 days. Gastric administration of OVA was 1 h before nebulization. At 24 h after the last stimulation, changes in airway resistance (RI) and dynamic compliance (Cdyn) in rat lungs were measured after challenge with methacholine at increasing concentrations. The contents of immunoglobulin (Ig)E, interleukin (IL)-4, IL-5, IL-13, and IL-17 in serum were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. The percentage of eosinophils (EOS) and the white blood cell (WBC) count in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were counted under an optical microscope. Pathologic alterations in lung tissue were evaluated by optical microscopy, and lung injury score calculated. Expression of mucin 5AC, oligomeric mucus/gel-forming (MUC5AC) and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in lung tissue was measured by immunohistochemistry. mRNA expression of MUC5AC and EGFR in lung tissue was measured by real-time reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR).Results: GSZC granules reduced RI markedly and improved Cdyn, decreased serum levels of IgE, IL-4, IL-5, IL-13, IL-17, %EOS and the WBC count in BALF. GSZC granules alleviated lung-tissue damage, diminished the Inflammation Score, and reduced mRNA and protein expression of MUC5AC and EGFR in lung tissue.Conclusion: GSZC granules could improve bronchial hyperresponsiveness, bronchial inflammation, and histopathologic damage in the lungs of rats suffering from asthma. This phenomenon may be related to its regulation of cytokine levels and the MUC5AC/EGFR signaling pathway.